After Summer is the latest from dreamy Clairecords, this era's
premier shoegaze label. Pia Fraus hails from Estonia, but
something tells me their brand of lush, hook-laden dream-pop will find
approving ears just about anywhere. Since
their inception in 1998, this cast of musicians has put out five
records and three EPs, and their ten years of artistic progression is
certainly evident on After Summer. On these ten tracks, Pia
Fraus exhibit a keen eye for melody and an almost professional
ability to knock out solid song after solid song.

While Pia Fraus'
adherence to shoegazer conventions does limit them creatively, the
quality of the songwriting manages to circumvent most criticisms
towards this record's level of originality. As might be expected, most
of these songs hoist hazy, shifting guitar layers over fairly
conventional rhythms and ethereal keyboard parts. Vocals
- often boy/girl trade-offs and harmonies
-provide airy,
summery melodies. The band's set of influences are fairly standard
fare -My Bloody Valentine, Lush,
The Jesus and Mary Chain, as well as many of their Clairecords
brethren - and in all likelihood, if you've
enjoyed the work of those bands, you'll find plenty to admire in
After Summer.

Early on, tracks like "Springsister" and "Sailing Yes" show off
what Pia Fraus can do with their time-proven formula, and the
results are very successful. Curiously, the second half of the disc
takes a bit more time to appreciate than the first. This is due to the
album's middle section, which houses a pocket of more fuzz-laden and
less overtly poppy songs that take the listener's attention away from
the music's melodic constructs. Still, there is much to recommend in
the later stages of After Summer-
the soothingly uplifting "Mute the Birds" is a definite album
highlight, while closer "Far Fade Whisper" is a juicy,
keyboard-drenched pop tune. Although this album's relative homogeneity
might make it a bit off-putting to genre newcomers, it remains a very
good shoegazer record, and another fine addition to Pia Fraus'
and Clairecords' prolific discographies.